Now we know why Dre’s mom always wanted him to be a doctor… Unless you’ve had your headphones cranked up all day, you’ve heard that Apple is close to acquiring Beats for $3.2 billion (the same amount Google paid for Nest and about $16 billion less than Facebook paid for Whatsapp). Even though the deal is not official, pretty much every tech and business writer on the planet has shared their theory on why Apple wants the headphone manufacturer and music service streamer founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. (It’s the streaming. It’s the cool factor. It’s a hedge in case iTunes flops. It’s Jimmy.) The truth is likely a mix that samples from all those theories.

+ Is it really a done deal? Dr. Dre sure seems to think so (NSFW unless you’re wearing headphones). But does the deal really make Dre a billionaire?

+ The Verge: The epic visual history of Beats by Dre.

+ Wired: 9 of the world’s most outrageously expensive headphones.